Daylily Stella de Oro, Dwarf Daylily

‘Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro,’ most commonly known as ‘Stella de Oro Daylily,’ features abundant golden-yellow, bell-shaped flowers that nod gracefully above slender, grass-like foliage. The botanical name, ‘Hemerocallis,” is derived from the Greek words, “hemer,” meaning “day” and “calli,” or “beauty,” in reference to the beautiful golden flowers that appear for only one day before they fade. “Stella de Oro” appropriately translates from Italian to “Star of Gold.” Fortunately, daylily stems feature multiple buds, which bloom one after another to provide continuous color throughout spring and early summer. ‘Stella de Oro’ is considered to be the one of the most popular daylilies available due to its diminutive size, dynamic growth, low maintenance, and long bloom period, which persists from May through September. This lovely daylily is most often planted into the front of perennial flower beds or borders and will grow to a miniature height of 12 inches. The bright blooms and graceful foliage are spectacular when massed into large drifts, and the plant will easily multiply to form a perennial groundcover in sunny landscapes within USDA hardiness zones 4-9. Native to Asia and central Europe, the beautiful ‘Stella de Oro’ has won multiple awards from the American Hemerocallis Society. Most daylilies found today are hybrids, meaning they have been cultivated to feature newer color combinations, shapes, and patterns than original plants discovered in the wild. Breeders began to create new daylily hybrids in the 1930’s, and there are now more than 60,000 cultivars in existence. ‘Stella de Oro’ was hybridized in 1975 by a hybridizer named Walter Jablonski, but the plant did not become widely popular until the 1990’s. It is important to know that daylilies are toxic to cats but appear to have no effect on dogs. Although the plant is edible to humans and has been used medicinally as a diuretic, it should never be eaten in large quantities and may cause allergic reactions in some people.